The climb that day was the most demanding yet. The cliffs seemed to grow more vertical, the handholds more scarce. But Wang Chen's resolve was iron. His "Useless Spirit Root" constantly drew minute amounts of the chaotic ambient Qi, refining it into a stubborn, enduring energy that kept him moving.
He was so focused on a difficult overhang that he almost missed it.
A sudden, deliberate rustle below him. Not the skittering of a loose stone, but the sound of a pebble being kicked.
His head snapped down. The mist swirled, opaque and mocking.
"Who's there?" he called out, his voice low but cutting through the wind.
Silence.
Then, a chuckle. Soft, light, and playful. It held no discernible malice, only a faint amusement, as if someone were watching a particularly interesting insect. It came from his left, then seemed to echo from his right. The mist distorted everything.
-Acoustic Analysis: Source location ambiguous. Intent: Ambiguous. Threat Level: Low.-
Another sound followed, this one from further down and to the right. A deeper, steadier hum of power—the same he'd heard before, but closer now. It felt calm and assured, like the presence of an unshakable elder.
Two of them? His mind raced. The playful one and the steady one. And somewhere far above, the one with the sword.
He was in the middle of them.
A sudden breeze parted the mist for a fleeting second, and he saw it. On a ledge perhaps fifty feet below, a figure was crouched, almost perfectly blended with the rock. He couldn't make out features, but he saw a pair of unblinking eyes, sharp and calculating, looking directly at him. There was no warmth in that gaze, only cold evaluation.
Then the mist closed in, and the figure was gone.
Wang Chen's jaw tightened. So, there were those who saw others not as companions, but as competition to be assessed, or perhaps, eliminated.
He rose to his full height on his narrow ledge, adjusting his stance to appear confident yet non-threatening. He channeled a wisp of Qi into his voice, making it carry.
"I am Wang Chen. Whoever you are, reveal yourselves!"
The fog swirled in response. No one answered. But he could feel their presence pressing in on him, an invisible weight testing his resolve, his courage, his very right to be there.
Almost imperceptibly, a stone shifted on a ledge across from him. Not by chance. It was a deliberate, calculated movement. A signal. Or a warning.
Wang Chen's eyes narrowed, a faint, defiant smile touching his lips. Very well. Let the mountain bring them forth.
And somewhere in the mist, the playful laughter rang again, warmer this time, carrying a hint of something that sounded like approval.
The climb was far from over. The mountain's most crucial lesson was just beginning: in this world of ascending power, you never walk the path entirely alone.
(To be continued...)